For purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:

Covered dependent. A family member, as defined in this section, of a current or former employee of the Department of Defense who, on or after January 1, 2016, accompanies the employee, while an employee of the Department, to an assigned duty location and becomes injured by reason of a qualifying injury to the brain.

Covered employee. A current or former employee of the Department of Defense who, on or after January 1, 2016, becomes injured by reason of a qualifying injury incurred while an employee of the Department of Defense.

Employee. For purposes of this part, “employee” means an individual who has been appointed to a position in the civil service in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 2104(a)(1) or 5 U.S.C. 2105(a)(1), with the exception of employees paid from non-appropriated funds of an instrumentality of the United States under the jurisdiction of the armed forces who are not a citizen or national of the United States.

Family member. for the purposes of determining “covered dependent”, a family member is defined as follows:

(1) Children who at the time of the injury are unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, are unmarried and due to mental and/or physical limitations are incapable of self-support. The term “children” includes natural offspring, step-children, adopted children, and those under permanent legal guardianship, or comparable permanent custody arrangement, of the employee, spouse or domestic partner as defined in 5 CFR 875.101 when dependent upon and normally residing with the guardian or custodial party, and U.S. citizen children placed for adoption if a U.S. court grants temporary guardianship of the child to the employee and specifically authorizes the child to reside with the employee in the country of assignment before the adoption is finalized;

(2) Siblings (including stepsiblings, or adoptive siblings) of the employee, or the spouse when at the time of the injury such siblings were at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, were physically and/or mentally incapable of self-support;

(3) Parents (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of the employee or of the spouse or of the domestic partner as defined in 5 CFR 875.101, when normally residing with the employee at the time of the injury; and

(4) Spouse or domestic partner (as defined in 5 CFR 875.01) at the time of the injury.

Other incident. A new onset of physical manifestations that cannot otherwise be readily explained and that is designated under 22 U.S.C. 2680b.

Qualifying injury to the brain. An injury to the brain that occurred in connection with war, insurgency, hostile act, terrorist activity, or other incidents designated under 22 U.S.C. 2680b, and that was not the result of the willful misconduct of the covered employee or covered dependent.

(1) The individual must have an acute injury to the brain such as, but not limited to, a concussion, penetrating injury, or as a consequence of an event that leads to permanent alterations in brain function as demonstrated by confirming correlative findings on imaging studies (to include computed tomography scan (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI)) or electroencephalogram (EEG); or

(2) A medical diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that required active medical treatment for 12 months or more; or

(3) Acute onset of new persistent, disabling neurologic symptoms as demonstrated by confirming correlative findings on imaging studies (to include CT or MRI), or EEG, or physical exam, or other appropriate testing, and that required active medical treatment for 12 months or more.